HORROR VACUI

Mysterious and miracle sound construction has completely caught my heart in a strict manner.

A Swedish female duo SIRI KARLSSON were founded for launching kinda innovative combination of mystical folklore and avantgarde discordance seasoned with psychedelic approaches and antithesis against pop cultures. "Horror Vacui" was recorded 'live' at a studio in Stockholm in April 2018 and released in November 2019 as their fifth album. Accidentally (and thankfully) I've got an email from Cecilia, one of Karlsson sisters, who pushed my back into their mystic world. Additionally it was a big surprise for me that their soundscape is somewhat dark, weird, depressive, but sensitive, magically comfortable, regardless of Cecilia's saying hello cheerfully in her mail. On the whole, this creation makes me feel like that Danish acid folk collective Furekåben or Foreningen Til Livets Beskyttelse meets another Krautrock obscurity Blumen Des Exotischen Eises or Semool. The female duo rigidly follow novel folk atmosphere whilst introducing tribal mystique drenched in psychic, psychological, hallucinogenic agents. And yes, such a loose but inseparable unification should give us definite comfort and innovative impression.

The first titled track can be mentioned as one of their masterpieces to collect and unify all of their crucial imagination and positive musical propaganda. Already promising is the topnote, a steady jazzy rhythmic advancement solidified by serious drumming and static saxophone plays. It's followed by a lyrical astronautical improvement like Space Rock Ambassadors, consisting of dancing synthesizer sounds and improvised saxophone plays. We should get immersed in randomized colourful melody lines and complicated rhythmic landspots in the middle zone. The latter phase is full of delightful chorus and repetitive swinging saxophone scratches. It sounds like we would see the brilliant light over the horizon under the tough pandemic situation (despite the fact this album was released before the pandemic). The 18 minute song would have been quite long but we should be satisfied with such a combination of heaviness, madness, weirdness, toughness, and especially afternoon delight. Anyway, their cuteness and enchantment can be incredibly felt in this track, at least for me, right?

The third track "The Party" is quite an unique one, featuring synthesizer-oriented odd funky noises and energetic but sensitive chorus. Not light nor simple but delightful and danceable. This intriguing pleasure is followed by the last shot "The Party Cont." flooded with more and more magnificent heaviness, dissonance and chaos like a traffic jam experienced in East South Asia. It's amazing such a discotique opus had been distorted, dissected by two sound magicians. The seocnd "Underjorden" is veiled in deep, oppressive atmosphere just like beneath the dark sea. Doomy gloomy flavour reminds me of sorta connection to 90s grunge metal scene. "Bloodmoon" is another bloody one featuring slowtempo but enthusiastic saxophone plays and kaleidoscopic noisy sound basis launched by a depressive synthesizer. Supernatural voices under the deep earth ground in the latter part is crazy spiritual. "Drone To The Bone" expresses floody goody warpness and ritualistic percussive sound structure, that brings me potential wonder how such a different-dimentional cynical theatrical vision has been developed in their inner mind.

The songs in this album are not extremely complex stuffs written for a long while but well-matured compositions involving vivacious spirits produced by two talents. No suspicion, beyond expression.

This wondrous music project is comprised of two women, namely Maria Arnqvist and Cecilia Österholm. They are hailing from Sweden, already being active since more than one decade under this moniker. Recorded live in the studio SIRI KARLSSON have created a new drug in 2018. That album serves an unmatchable atmosphere, releases your senses into a special state of intoxication. This is addictive, but, and now the good news, definitely not harmful. The meaning of 'Horror Vacui', well, let's have a try. It's the reluctance of, or just fear of the void somehow? Requiring the opposite of emptiness in terms of art.

Means they have to go for versatility here, come what may. Now due to the cover painting's manifolded structure, contributed by Per Byström, they have taken the first hurdle with ease. Stylistically seen let's put this album into the drawer Avantgarde Neo Krautrock. Something special, original, Cecilia plays the nyckelharpa, a traditional Swedish instrument. Fitting one vinyl flipside alone the album title track sets standards when drawing on the aforementioned request. Initially the deep toned key fiddle, a hypnotic bass stroke, and marching drums are serving a mystic and dramatic atmosphere.

Some minutes later though it turns into a rocking behaviour featuring much synthesizer activity. And then it all collapses again with ethereal but also slight horror feel. This track as well as the entire album is brimful of diverse impressions and moods, impossible to describe in all its glory. Vocals are irresistible. Saxophone and trombone are arranged like arriving from another dimension. On a side note, actually it's melodic too, yeah really. I can hear some similarities to fellow countrymen Ex Canix and the sinister ritualistic folk akin to Heilung. Mission accomplished! 4.5 stars.